May 2012 (Anne wrote this diary entry as a continuation of her previous entry – a bit over a week after the events in chapter 38 of "By a Simple Twist of Fate")

Dear Diary,

Izzie and Jake are still at school, so the flat is blissfully quiet. (How did I ever cope with the volume of seven kids in my own house? I imagine the noise must have just increased gradually with each additional child so I didn't fully recognize the decibel level until they all moved out! Or maybe kids are just louder these days…or maybe I'm just older!) Anyway, I'm going to use this momentary quiet time to start recording more details about some my "Things I still need to write about" list from my last entry.

Let me start by writing about what it was like for me to meet Ken in person, rather than just speaking with him on the phone - something that Gilbert hasn't done himself yet. (I wonder if that will change now?)

Gilbert and I have talked a number of times about this "official introduction" to our daughter's boyfriend. We've tried to mentally equate it the same as when we first met Dan or any of the various people that Walter, Di, Shirley, or Rilla have dated over the years. (Since the Merediths have been pseudo-family for years, it seems like we've just always known Faith, Jerry, and Carl so we never needed to "meet" them.) Anyway, meeting Dan and these other boyfriends/girlfriends was somewhat simple – or at least it seemed like that. Gilbert recently reflected that part of the simplicity was that their upbringings, goals, careers, lifestyles were all of a similar sort as our lives.

And, while we know that each romantic partner that our children have introduced us to has held the possibility of becoming a permanent member of our family, the world in general hasn't cared if the relationships continued or broke up.

So, while we were "simply" meeting our daughter's boyfriend at dinner last Wednesday, we also were meeting someone whose entire life is completely different from our own and whose every action is the subject of media attention. "Simply meeting Ken" somehow became heavier feeling despite our efforts to remind ourselves that we were "simply" meeting the man whom our daughter has fallen in love with.

In any case, we did meet him and after the initial awkwardness, we had a wonderful evening. The awkwardness was definitely contributed to by Rilla's efforts to make sure no one was following our taxi. I've watched movie scenes where people are trying to lose the others who are tailing them…I just never supposed I'd actually be part of one of those scenes myself! Changing taxis, arriving into a dark alley, entering a restaurant through the back kitchen door, being greeted by a security officer lurking in the shadows…it was quite surreal! Very Hollywood!

I had assumed that we would arrive to the restaurant as normal – through the front door – and then be shown to a table where Ken would likely be waiting. I thought maybe we'd be in a side room or something. But to find ourselves wandering through a completely empty restaurant was definitely unexpected. To give myself something to do, I went over and looked out the front window to see what the area looked like…and then Rilla reminded me that photographers might be taking pictures from outside. So many precautions that are "normal" to her are things that I just don't think about.

Anyway, when Ken appeared from wherever he had been waiting, I found myself hearing Marilla's voice in my head and briefly considered doing a curtsy. Thankfully, Ken quickly put us at ease. (I've seen how quickly he makes other people comfortable in the videos I've watched of him.) I was flattered that he called me "Dr. Blythe" since most don't refer to me that way. But it was easier once we all dropped the formal titles. (I will be sure to let Marilla know that her son properly greeted Ken as "Your Royal Highness" until Ken insisted on just being called "Ken.") In my mind, he's been "Ken" for a long time since that is how Rilla refers to him. Yet as I stood there looking at him, he was certainly *The Prince of Wales* that I see online in photos and videos and on TV. For a moment, it was hard to correlate the two versions of him – boyfriend and prince. But, after I got out of my own head, it became a bit easier to call him Ken and see him as Rilla's boyfriend.

I had been focusing on how uneasy Gilbert and I felt about meeting Rilla's long-time boyfriend who also happens to be practically a world ruler. But it wasn't until Rilla ribbed him for pulling out her chair for her, using our "Doctor" titles, and gifting me with a vintage book that I absorbed the fact that Ken was nervous about meeting us and was worried about making a good impression on us as his girlfriend's parents! That insight made me feel soft towards him. He was trying so hard. How long has it been since Ken's had to try hard to impress anyone?

The conversation flowed well at times and hit some awkward spots at other times. Honestly, that was not much different than the highs/lows of conversations during some of the formal medical or university dinners that Gilbert and I have attended. But what was interesting was how Rilla behaved during the more tense parts. I could see that she has really become in tune with Ken – when he felt uncomfortable, she stepped in to lighten things up or change the subject. It was like watching a mixed doubles team play tennis…they each knew right where to be and when to step up to hit the ball. I've noticed Rilla's increasing maturity over this past year but seeing them interact together made her increased self-confidence and poise show up even more. And, in comparison to the formal presence Ken "wears" in the video clips that I've watched, he truly seemed to let his guard down when being near and interacting with Rilla. As he is good for her, I think she is equally good for him.

And there was a lot of opportunity through the whole evening (both at dinner and at the concert) to see the genuine affection that Rilla and Ken have for each other. As a parent, it is always very relieving to notice that unspoken affection and deep respect between your child and his/her partner. Genial flirtation is light and fluffy and sweet, but the depth of a solid relationship can be seen in the little things – and I saw that with Ken and Rilla!

I must say - one of the most "normal" moments of the night was when I found myself impulsively inviting Ken to come to Ingleside with us this summer. As I just naturally invited him (because all of the other "significant others" will also be there and it seemed so logical for him to also come), it almost felt like the room stood still for a moment. Ken became rather formal and polite, Gilbert just seemed frozen, and Rilla immediately stepped in to bail out the conversation. But as we started to toss around ideas, the mood changed quickly and became lighter and excited – well, except for Gilbert remaining frozen until I elbowed him.

I do wish that I had a picture of Ken's face when I explained that his security team could stay in the "Garden Shed"…that was funny! The three of us Blythes knew that I was talking about the converted studio, but it was quickly apparent that Ken was visualizing a small garden shed filled with tools and a potting bench! I really do hope that Ken will be able to come – that he can readjust his schedule and that his mother doesn't need him to step in for her. The level of comfort that Gilbert and I developed with Ken in the course of a few hours Wednesday night makes me realize how much the rest of our family could (and will) feel comfortable with him during some shared holiday time at Ingleside. Ken certainly is part of Rilla's life and it would be nice for him to meet the rest of the people who are important in her life (and for them to meet and get to know him as her boyfriend, not as the prince). Granted, Izzie already talks about Ken as if he is her personal movie-watching partner so that is at least one less member of the family for Ken to meet…

So, anyway, looking back over what I've written, I hope I've recorded about the "meeting Ken in person" subject with enough depth to capture my nerves, thoughts, and emotions but without too much psychoanalysis. Who knows? In the distant future, I might be asked: "Tell us about the time you first met Prince Kenneth" and I'll be glad to look back at what I wrote here.

There's still more that could be written about dinner (the food was wonderful, especially the dessert) and our conversations about Rilla and Ken's upcoming move to Oxford…as well as the whole concert experience, but I'll save that for my next entry. And, I might need to limit my ramblings a bit…if I keep writing this long of diary entries for all of the things on my "need to write about" list, we might be on the flight to visit Di for her graduation before I finish!

.

- - - Anne's Diary - - - Anne's Diary - - - Anne's Diary - - -

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Author's Note:

What did you think? Does this diary entry strikes the right tone for such an anticipated first meeting of boyfriend & parents? I'd love to hear your thoughts about it.

Also, I forgot to write a thank you in my last chapter...so here it is now. To the guest who reviewed the diary entry about Mrs. Weisz' death: please accept my huge (belated) thank you! Seeing a review pop up in my Inbox totally made my day!